New Hampshire considers whether to expand Medicaid

CONCORD, N.H. – The number of uninsured residents in New Hampshire would drop to about 71,000 by 2020 if the state expands its Medicaid program under the federal health overhaul law, compared to about 93,200 if it decides against expansion, a report released Friday says.

The state Department of Health and Human Services hired a health policy research firm to study the pros and cons of expanding the program after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that expanding Medicaid was optional under the Affordable Care Act.

The first phase of report, released in November, estimated expansion could cost the state $85 million from 2014 to 2020, but said the state would get $2.5 billion in federal funding. Without expanding, the report said, the state could save up to $114 million over the seven years.

The second phase, released Friday, examined the impact on the uninsured population, the economy, health care providers, insurers and state agencies.

Gov. Maggie Hassan said the report makes clear that expanding Medicaid will help the state by injecting federal money, creating jobs and reducing the amount of uncompensated care at hospitals.

“This is an important opportunity to help families and strengthen our economy,” said Hassan, who took office this month and supported expanding Medicaid during her campaign.

Under the federal law, people under age 65 will qualify for Medicaid if they earn up to 138 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, which is about $15,000 a year for a single adult.

Expanding the program in New Hampshire would boost enrollment by about 58,000 people, the report estimates, and together with the law’s other provisions, would reduce the number of uninsured residents from roughly 170,000 to 71,000.

Without expansion, the number of uninsured residents would drop by 76,800 to 93,200 over the seven-year period, according to the report.

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